The careful hints of emotion that Lily injects into her performances help really bring the lyrics alive, letting them connect on a profound and lasting level. This is the kind of escapism that embraces the darker parts of life and somehow turns them into a strangely warming arena of understanding.
Music
Beautiful, dark yet intriguing enough to provoke a few replays. Lauren Rosas is defiantly carving her own pathway, more and more so with each new single.
Each song creates a gentle and satisfyingly human take on Roensch’s subject matter, which is ruminative and delicate and a little bit trippy. It’s distinct and idiosyncratic and I dig it for that.
A three piece of guitar, bass and drums comes powering out of the traps here. It’s a fizzy capture, washes of cymbals and some heavy riffing on guitar creating a robust, muscular backdrop for some vocals with attitude.
Occupying the ground between Julian Cope during his Fried period and then the snarl and belligerent punky attitude of John Lydon, the lead vocal punches hard on the track Someone You Know. It then wanders into something more wistful and lyrically more exploratory on Waste of Time. There’s an ever-present natural vibrato when the vocal is more relaxed. But melodically, the vocals are making some very deliberate dissonant choices which reek of swagger and confidence and an overall looseness to proceedings which is genuinely original in the current climate.
Someone You Know also boasts interesting rhythm and arrangement choices. ‘Your expectations are too much,’ posits the singer. But they are actually served pretty well, thanks, with some smart arrangement chops which retain the interest well. These include a wandering exploratory guitar solo part and, in particular, a proper diversion into new territory just before the track’s conclusion, when a bridge part suddenly offers a sonic treat before resolving beautifully into a meaty post-chorus riff and the song abruptly concludes.
Waste of Time is more of a workout dynamically, with some questing guitar riffs adding a mystical air to the mix and the vocal gets to explore more tones, at times coming across like Gary Numan in terms of word-chewing delivery.
‘Waves crashing over waves,’ gets repeated in an intense repeating pattern in an exciting bridge part which again makes a welcome impression just before the song’s conclusion. It’s exciting and unexpected and really delivers.
A shot in the arm lyrically and in terms of attitude and energy, Microcosm’s EP is a breath of fresh air.
Adopting a brilliantly colourful and energetic, punk-pop performance style and set up, Life As Mary’s latest release is easily one of their most attention grabbing and memorable to date – an impressive achievement, considering how catchy and likable all of their releases have been so far. Time Is Out offers up an addictively enthusiastic fusion … Continued
RAKZ4K and producer Supply join forces for this hard-hitting, heavy yet mellow-paced sweep of nostalgia.
Bringing together delicacy of concept and tone, Don’t Leave Me rises up from acoustic purity to full-band warmth throughout its captivating and uplifting four-minute journey – impressing all the more so with each new moment that passes.
You’re inspired to believe in better, that you can make a difference, and as the soundscape and that hook rain down you’re filled with a sense of wonder and vibrancy. As is the role of great electronic music, and no one does it greater than NIKOTENE right now.
Is there such a genre as ‘stoner country’? If not, it’s possible that Jesh has invented it! Warm and woozy in the way that a bottle of firewater shared around a campfire on a cold night might be.
Mild moments of choreography add further to all of this. Love You So builds up wonderfully and works perfectly well just the way it is. The video enhances the whole thing in a likable way. A job well done.
By the end, the unexpected rhythm of delivery has made itself a little more recognisable. The final moments are a definite highlight as the flow finds its sweet spot and resolves in a satisfying way – It’s part of being a teenager works well as the ultimate closing moment.
It’s always wonderful to discover that artists who make modern electronic music also have the ability and desire to craft it from the raw, organic essentials when necessary. Jared Lee is superb, an artist through and through.